A survivor replied to a tweet of mine with an overview of their story, which overlaps with my and others' experience with Fr. LeRoy Valentine at Immacolata.

I was sexually assaulted at an after-school program. I told a secretary at the church who listened to me and hugged me and kept me calm while my mom came. Just before she pulled up the lady whispered "sorry but this would ruin the church" and then told my mom I was an evil liar.

Enabling: Then

My abuser Father LeRoy Valentine at Immacolata in St. Louis, got at kids similarly, at least to start. Through the after-school program. What's so FUCKED UP is the mom who ran the Immacolata after school program IMMEDIATELY spoke up to our principal about how creepy he was.

How he dressed.

The short shorts he wore.

Which showed his bulge.

And how he liked to wrestle with the kids.

Our principal, Sr. Helen, IMMEDIATELY went to our pastor, Monsignor Cornelius Flavin. He told her what happened in the gym — where the after school program was held — was NONE OF HER BUSINESS. Her job was to worry about the school.

And that was the end of it.

And us.

40 years later, my mom, after I came out to her as a survivor, went to the house of the woman who ran the after school program to talk to her about what she saw.

Because Sr. Helen only knew what the woman told her.

The woman refused to talk to my mom.

That's not helping.

That's Enabling.